How Can You Keep The Attention Of Your Conversation Partner?

How can you keep the attention of your conversation partner? Winston Churchill said that “a good conversation should exhaust the subject, not the interlocutors.”

No doubt a man who had to negotiate as often as Churchill had to know how to carry on a conversation without losing the interest of the other person. However, it is very unlikely that he put them on paper and left them for posterity.

In this article we will give you some tips. We are social beings. Our lives revolve around relationships with other people. That is also why it is important to have good conversations.

Keys with which you can hold the attention of your interlocutor in a conversation

Have you ever felt that other people were trying not to yawn while you were speaking? Do you find that your audience loses their focus on the topic you are talking about, even though what you say is important? Do your students fall asleep during class?

If you suffer from one of these problems or something similar, you will find these keys interesting for conversation. They will also allow you to connect with other people in an emotional way. Moreover, you will hold the attention of your audience.

Before we discuss this in depth, we need to make something very clear: what you’re saying must be well-substantiated. What do we mean by this? Your presentation should be clear or coherent. If you have good content, all you need to do is present it in a way that your audience won’t miss a word.

Tell a small and short story

Have you had a history teacher who could convey the lesson as if it were a story or an adventure? Do you know someone who has experience with this?

Most people who have had such a teacher remember those lessons fondly. They look back on it as if it was an immersion in a beautiful world that they would like to return to.

When you talk to someone, don’t just monotonously give them a list of tasks. Lead your interlocutor into the story. Explain how you came up with the idea by describing it in a way that helps them understand your goals.

The tone in which you speak is a parameter. For example, we can use a direct style and not talk in a dry, cold and monotonous way. In addition, we can give a brief explanation that provides the context of what we want to say. This way, the other person can more easily pay attention to what we are telling them.

Meet your partner during the conversation

This is a key to a completely logical conversation. In a conversation you need to know your conversation partner well. It will help you to know what you are allowed to talk about and the best way to have the conversation. This is a simple example: a conversation with a child is not the same as with an adult.

So it is essential that we know who we are speaking to. Depending on their age, tastes and cultural level, you will need to adapt your speech to their needs. What does this mean? Do the necessary so that they understand the message and find it interesting. Give the context, answer their questions, use different techniques.

Find popular references

A very useful tool is the use of popular references. That way you can keep the attention of the spectators. If you need to explain something elaborate and complicated, add understandable analogies, popular sayings, funny metaphors…

Basically, you should base your presentation on elements of popular culture that the other person already knows. This will help you make your ideas clearer.

It will also give them a better idea of ​​what you are trying to convey. Moreover, it will also put more emotion in your speech. This will also help your audience stay engaged and interested.

Some other interesting keys you can use while talking

So these are keys to speaking and ensuring that you can hold the attention of your audience. They are generally the basic conditions. However, there are other techniques that are interesting:

• Take breaks. The breaks create expectations in the audience. It also provides the message with dramatic and expressive depth. However, be careful not to overdo it with these breaks. They will become boring over time.

• Use empathy. In this way you can take over the perspective of the listener. You will also know better what he would like to hear.

• Look at the non-verbal language. This will tell you a lot about your audience. You can then adjust the way you express yourself based on the feedback the others give you.

Now you know these keys to having a good conversation. So you can put them into practice. We hope they will help you to become a great interesting conversation partner. So many hours of entertaining debates await you.